The chef at this aggressively casual storefront diner also stir-fries a mean spaghetti & beef (Tallerin Saltado). And for a while--before I tried the Saltado, I was fixated on the buttery shrimp with whole cloves of garlic (Camaron al Ajo). The sole salad--an anemic, Denny's-style garden deal--is hardly tempting, but I've seen some pretty luscious bowls of seafood or beef-noodle soup pass me by on their way to less obsessive diners' tables. I've even seen a woman delicately lift an emptied platter of mussels with onion salsa (Choros a la Criolla) to her mouth and drain off the juices. Something that good has got to be worth throwing over the shrimp and fries at least once, right? <br> Wrong. In order to maximize my gorge-fest of Saltado, I've even learned to limit my intake of another Peruvian delicacy, bread doused in aji, a fiery pureed salsa that, thankfully, is now served in generously-sized squeeze bottles to remove the embarrass ... more

The chef at this aggressively casual storefront diner also stir-fries a mean spaghetti & beef (Tallerin Saltado). And for a while--before I tried the Saltado, I was fixated on the buttery shrimp with whole cloves of garlic (Camaron al Ajo). The sole salad--an anemic, Denny's-style garden deal--is hardly tempting, but I've seen some pretty luscious bowls of seafood or beef-noodle soup pass me by on their way to less obsessive diners' tables. I've even seen a woman delicately lift an emptied platter of mussels with onion salsa (Choros a la Criolla) to her mouth and drain off the juices. Something that good has got to be worth throwing over the shrimp and fries at least once, right? <br> Wrong. In order to maximize my gorge-fest of Saltado, I've even learned to limit my intake of another Peruvian delicacy, bread doused in aji, a fiery pureed salsa that, thankfully, is now served in generously-sized squeeze bottles to remove the embarrassment of asking the waitress to return two and, yes, three times for refills. <br> More intrepid diners can choose from an array of chicken, beef, seafood and organ-meat dishes at Mario's Peruvian. Nothing is particularly lowfat, but it's all pretty healthful. The place is clean, the ingredients are fresh, the dishes are all well-prepared and inexpensive. Most of the entrees hover at around nine bucks for a plentiful portion; appetizers and soups. less